By Super Bowl Sunday is one of the busiest days for a number of wing and pizza quick-service restaurant (QSR) chains. The occasion comes as chicken wings and pizza have been a central part of the quarantine diet for Americans amid the pandemic, CNBC reported.
Domino’s Pizza usually sends out approximately 2 million pizzas Super Bowl Sunday for delivery, which is 30 percent above the level on a usual Sunday. The holiday is one of Wingstop’s leading five sales days yearly, and it is the busiest day of the year for Pizza Hut. Hurricane Grill & Wings owner Fat Brands sells 500,000 chicken wings on the holiday.
“If what we’ve just experienced over the past 12 months is any indication — beating the industry in sales — we expect that to continue this Sunday,” Church’s Chicken Global Chief Marketing Officer Brian Gies said, per CNBC.
Charlie Morrison, the chief executive of Wingstop, said via a representative that the firm still anticipates formidable sales for the Super Bowl. But the QSR company could get more checks but a lower average check in contrast to previous years due to fewer people getting together in one place.
On the flip side for restaurants, COVID-19 has brought about supply chain hurdles. Mozzarella cheese prices have climbed. Wholesale prices for one pound of mozzarella have increased to as much as $2.70, CNBC reported, citing a U.S. Department of Agriculture report. By contrast, prices for the cheese averaged approximately $2.15 for one pound in February 2019.
In October, Domino’s Pizza, Inc. announced worldwide retail sales growth outside of foreign currency exchange impact of 14.8 percent, with U.S. same-store sales expansion of 17.5 percent and international same-store sales expansion of 6.2 percent.
“During the third quarter, the pandemic continued to drive a favorable tailwind for food delivery, coupled with a challenging operating environment,” Domino’s CEO Ritch Allison said on a call with analysts at the time in terms of the chain’s U.S. results.
